Last week it hit at once, unexpectedly. The wearying combination of both physical and emotional tiredness. We’ve had a busy couple months with life and ministry. I’d been schooling faithfully since our daughter was in the hospital, and that probably contributed, too. But the thing that had given the biggest gut-punch was that one of those…
This poem, Do the Next Thing, is a long-time favorite of mine. During holidays and stressful moments, I refer to it even more often. My hope for you is that this simple printable image– hung on your refrigerator, taped above your busy kitchen counter, or framed on a shelf– can make your coming Christmas season “doings” a…
I recently asked over 1,000 women: “What things keep you from getting the soul and body rest you know you need?” Here’s a selection of the answers: Laundry, dirty bottles, teething babies and an injured hubby. 🙂 I constantly put high expectations on myself and convince myself that I can do all things. It’s a battleground…
I guess I’m a slow learner. It took me lots of babies and births to finally start figuring it out. Our baby #1 (born in a hospital in Virginia) was in the NICU for a week, I had mastitis for a month, and then we packed up our apartment and moved across the country. WHAAAAT??! After baby #2…
In the recent Reader Survey, this question came through. It’s one I get asked from time to time, given our history of having lived abroad, in 14 different homes in 14 years of marriage, and doing all of that as a young, growing family: Q: You have been in various states of transition over the past…
The holidays are over. The “magic” is gone, but the mess, exhaustion, and daily needs remain, don’t they? Are you feeling overwhelmed? In our house: Recently-bought games & books need a “home,” but our shelves are overflowing. Luke is due in 2.5 weeks. My pregnancy wardrobe is slung here, there, and everywhere, because everything is too tight and/or makes me…
It’s New Year’s Eve– the time for self-evaluation, promises, and resolutions. The problem? Most of those goals go unmet & forgotten. 25% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within a WEEK. I’m convinced that a large part of that “failure” rate is that we aren’t honest with ourselves about our real life limitations BEFORE we set…
A few Saturdays ago, I sprained my ankle while coming down our stairs toward the garden. Moving too fast, I misjudged where the sidewalk ended, and the grass deceived me into believing the ground was taller than it was. My ankle rolled. HARD. I *HEARD* cracking noises, y’all. Yikes! But you know what? By Monday morning I…
The holidays are upon us. I made it all the way to Thursday when *BAM* someone says, “yeah, just one week until Thanksgiving.” EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Admittedly, this year I don’t have much to do for Thanksgiving. Several families are getting together, and so I have a turkey, and two other items, to bring. One of which…
We’ve talked about yelling before here. I’ve made it no secret that yelling has been a struggle for me as a mom… but I have also increasingly found self-control and “success” in this area. Perhaps you struggle with yelling… as a wife? as a mom? I don’t know your exact situation… but I want to…